Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville.
JAMA Pediatr. 2019 Feb 1;173(2):176-182. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.4346.
Corporal punishment is a leading risk factor for physical abuse. Strong anecdotal evidence from physicians and other professionals working in child protection suggest that punishment-initiated physical abuse for school-aged children increases after release of report cards. However, no empirical examination of this association has occurred.
To examine the temporal association between school report card release and incidence rates (IRs) of physical abuse.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective study reviewed calls to a state child abuse hotline and school report card release dates across a single academic year in Florida. Data were collected in a 265-day window from September 8, 2015, to May 30, 2016, in the 64 of 67 Florida counties with report card release dates available (16 960 days). Participants included all children aged 5 to 11 years for whom calls were made. A total of 1943 verified cases of physical abuse were reported in the study period in the 64 counties. Data were analyzed from October 2017 through May 2018.
School report cards release across a single academic year, measured daily by county.
Daily counts of calls to a child abuse hotline that later resulted in agency-verified incidents of child physical abuse across a single academic year by county.
During the academic year, 167 906 calls came in to the child abuse hotline for children aged 5 to 11 years; 17.8% (n = 29 887) of these calls were suspected incidents of physical abuse, and 2017 (6.7%) of these suspected incidents were later verified as cases of physical abuse before excluding the 3 counties with no release dates available. Among the 1943 cases included in the analysis (58.9% males [n = 1145]; mean [SD] age, 7.69 [1.92] years), calls resulting in verified reports of child physical abuse occurred at a higher rate on Saturdays after a Friday report card release compared with Saturdays that do not follow a Friday report card release (IR ratio, 3.75; 95% CI, 1.21-11.63; P = .02). No significant association of report card release with IRs was found for any other days of the week.
This association of school report card release and physical abuse appears to illustrate a unique systems-based opportunity for prevention.
体罚是身体虐待的主要风险因素。从事儿童保护工作的医生和其他专业人员的强烈传闻证据表明，在公布成绩单后，针对学龄儿童的惩罚引发的身体虐待会增加。然而，没有对此关联进行实证检验。
研究学校成绩单发布与身体虐待发生率（IR）之间的时间关联。
设计、地点和参与者：这是一项回顾性研究，调查了佛罗里达州一个单一学年期间向州儿童虐待热线和学校成绩单发布日期的呼叫，并在 2015 年 9 月 8 日至 2016 年 5 月 30 日期间，在佛罗里达州 67 个县中的 64 个县（16960 天）内收集了一个 265 天的窗口数据。参与者包括所有报告来电的 5 至 11 岁儿童。在研究期间，在这 64 个县中报告了 1943 例经证实的身体虐待案件。数据分析于 2017 年 10 月至 2018 年 5 月进行。
一学年中各县的学校成绩单发布情况，每日进行测量。
一学年内各县因儿童身体虐待而向儿童虐待热线拨打的每日电话计数。
在学年期间，为 5 至 11 岁儿童拨打了 167906 次儿童虐待热线；这些电话中有 17.8%（n=29887）被怀疑是身体虐待事件，其中 2017 年（6.7%）被怀疑是身体虐待事件，在排除 3 个没有发布日期的县之前。在包括在分析中的 1943 例案例中（男性占 58.9%[n=1145]；平均[标准差]年龄为 7.69[1.92]岁），与周五后没有报告卡发布的周六相比，在周五发布报告卡后的周六，导致验证报告的儿童身体虐待的电话数量更高（IR 比，3.75；95%CI，1.21-11.63；P=0.02）。没有发现报告卡发布与任何其他日子的 IR 之间存在显著关联。
学校报告卡发布与身体虐待之间的这种关联似乎说明了一个独特的基于系统的预防机会。
